More asylum seekers for Nauru

The group, comprising 20 people from Iran and four from Sri Lanka, left Christmas Island at 7.30pm on Monday and arrived in Nauru at 5.40am on Tuesday.

They will be housed in tents while their claims for asylum are processed.

It came as Fairfax reported an asylum seeker already transferred to Nauru had abandoned his application for refugee status to return home to Sri Lanka.

On the weekend, it was revealed 18 Sri Lankan asylum seekers on Christmas Island had opted to return home rather than be flown to Nauru.

The Department of Immigration said the transferring of asylum seekers to Nauru reaffirmed "the strong message of deterrence for anyone considering risking their lives on dangerous people-smuggling boats".